#Bolivianelections2020 - Election Day
Bolivia Today ©
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| Source: Red ATB live coverage, Screenshot |
Bolivia has began election day under unprecedented security conditions and scrutiny of its electoral process. The security condition has a double meaning, with the one side being those measures implemented to prevent further infections of the corona virus and the other side having to do with the measures implemented to assure the integrity of the vote. Not only Bolivia has been dealing with a rise in infection cases and the understandable concern of practically every citizen (as illustrated by the journalist above), but last October it has experienced an electoral fraud of epic proportions, one that shook voter trust on the ability of any government to carry out clean elections.
The day officially began with the rising of the flag at the central plaza Murillo and an official ceremony in the front patio of the Electoral Tribunal (TSE), where not only the care-taker president Anez was present, but a number of government and other officials as well as all the international observer groups from the UN, OAS, EU, the Carter Foundation and other groups invited by the MAS.
However, it really began one day before as the departmental governments instituted what Bolivians call auto de buen gobierno (in English would mean something like regulations for good conduct and the security of the electoral process). Although, there is really no known legal term I could find. These measures include prohibition on the selling of alcohol, needing special permission to drive a car and other restrictions.
Regarding the security forces, in this case, the police and military, they have set up their coordinated security measures starting the day before election day. They placed for example barriers around the places where each department will conduct the official counting of the results. No unauthorized vehicle or even person will be able to just walk around those places. Police units have been controlling car movements since the early hours of election day. By 7 or 8 am, there were reports of some people being arrested for violating the restrictions. Also, these security forces were in charge of guarding every step of the ballot transport, something that Bolivians call la cadena de custodia (the guarding chain). It involves one military and two police officers following the voting material to the voting tables, guarding the material until voting day, and following the return of the material to the departmental electoral tribunal.
The Bolivian media, TV, radio, newspapers and online media, along with a large number of ngos are also closely following the process. Various TV networks have teams deployed all over the country. These journalists are reporting every step, starting with the preparations made by the electoral officials in each voting table to the closing of voting booths. Below you see various YouTube videos in Spanish showing media coverage of election day opening.
